


At Home on PNF-404

by GreyLiliy



Category: Pikmin (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:00:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26365348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyLiliy/pseuds/GreyLiliy
Summary: PNF-404 and its inhabitants are attached to the small crew of Koppaites and Hocotatians. They may have become fond of it as well, which is for the best since their ship has crashed yet again.
Relationships: Alph & Brittany (Pikmin), Alph & Olimar (Pikmin), Louie & Olimar (Pikmin)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 52





	At Home on PNF-404

**Author's Note:**

> I have now seen play throughs of all three games, and I’ve started playing Pikmin 3 for myself (and oh boy am I awful at the game, but at least I think the little Check-In dialogues are cute). I am officially a Pikmin fan (I love Alph and the Pikmin are so cute!!!!) and I’m excited for Deluxe coming out in October. :D 
> 
> Thus…I’m writing about it. I decided to add a little bit of love to the Pikmin tag with a variety of loosely connected little scenes of the two Crews and their Pikmin to explore the characters and world a bit. I think it turned out pretty cute, so thank you for reading and enjoy!

The Pikmin’s Onion was a marvel of natural engineering. It held countless Pikmin, housing them and providing the source of their propagation. It could fly into the atmosphere with its own propulsion. It could merge with other Onions to better protect the little Pikmin inside. It could even tell when a creature standing under it was alive or dead before devouring it.

And it had a much higher successful landing record than any Koppaite or Hocotatian ship.

“What do you mean you can’t fix it?” Brittany slammed a hand against the wall above him. He popped his head out of the floor panel that led to the engines below and sighed. Alph didn’t want to answer, but Brittany was firm with her insistence. “Explain it again.”

A Rock Pikmin patted its hands on the ground as it sat next to the floor opening. Alph pulled himself out of the panel and sat next to it. “The last crash crushed a vital piece of the engine. I can’t fix it, and without it the ship won’t break atmosphere. We’ll be lucky if we can hover high enough to keep the local predators from reaching at night.”

A simplified explanation, but it was good enough.

“So we’re stuck.”

“We’re stuck.”

Brittany dropped her head and put her hand in her hair. “What about life support?”

“That’s the good news,” Alph said. He stood, patting the Rock Pikmin on the head as he did. The little fella jumped up and followed Alph to a control panel. “The atmosphere conversion equipment is still operational. We should be able to maintain a breathable and comfortable environment in the ship as long as we’ve got power.”

“And the generators to make sure we keep power?”

“Thanks the help of the Yellow Pikmin, up and good to go.”

“That’s something at least,” Brittany said. She crossed her arms and dropped her head back. “Have you told the Captain?”

“Not yet.”

“I’ll do it,” Brittany said. She picked up her helmet and walked toward the surface teleport. “You need to get all that paneling back into place before we turn in for the night.”

“Yes, Brittany.”

As she disappeared back onto the surface, the Pikmin on board grew curious about the open panel leading to the engine room. Alph grabbed the Rock Pikmin before it could jump into the hole—maybe bringing him on the ship for company while he worked wasn’t the smartest idea.

“No, no, that’s not for you,” Alph said. He picked up the Pikmin and held it. “You’ll get stuck.”

The Pikmin stared blankly as Alph turned and sat him back on the floor. It got up and wandered around the room, but just looking. Alph quickly replaced the floor paneling before a Pikmin or crew member could fall through.

“Let’s go join the others, little guy.” Alpha whistled to get the Pikmin’s attention before using the teleport to the surface. He set the Pikmin on the ground and let it run to join the others milling around outside the Onion. Alph spotted his own crew milling next to the broken leg of the Drake that had it resting on a slight tilt. “How’s everything out here?”

“As good as it can be when you’re stranded,” Captain Charlie said. He huffed and kicked the Drake’s leg The Captain had been down since their ship crashed once again. No one knew why, and it was bothering him most of all. “But at least we won’t starve or lack shelter.”

“What about Olimar and Louie?” Alpha asked, glancing at the Hocotatians. “Can they survive on a fruit juice diet like us long term?”

“Louie will eat just about anything,” Captain Olimar said. The other Hocotatian shrugged in confirmation before leaning against the rock wall. “And Brittany volunteered to help us make a planter to grow more Pikpik Carrots. We have a decent supply, so hopefully more will grow by the time we need them.”

“That’s a relief.”

Though Alph couldn’t imagine eating the same Pikpik carrots every day for every meal. At least the fruit on PNF-404 had variety to it.

“So now what?” Louie asked. The other Hocotatian had started to speak up more once Olimar was returned and they were all fed. “We wait?”

“That might be all we can do. The President knows we’re here, so he’ll probably send help if we don’t respond…eventually,” Captain Olimar said. He patted a passing Pikmin on the head and exhaled. “I’m sure it will be fine.”

Captain Charlie clapped his hands together and straightened his shoulders. “And in the meantime, we press on like always! The day is wasting and we’ve got food stores to stock! Let’s go!”

“The one joy of this planet! The fruit!” Brittany turned and grabbed Alph’s hand. “Come on! Let’s see if we can’t find something new.”

She tugged him toward the Onion and whistled, gathering a decent group of Pikmin. The little Rock Pikmin that had explored the ship wandered into the group as well, joining the squad as they set out for another day of fruit hunting.

* * *

Alph watched the Onion float next to their craft in the dark sky. The ship hadn’t been able to break out from the atmosphere, but it did manage a steady hover just out of reach from the predators below. They had a close scare from the beak of one of those monstrous, underground birds, but it was just out of reach and the creature lost interest.

He was surprised the Onion hovered at their level instead of going into its regular spot in the stars above.

“Loyal little creatures, aren’t they?” Captain Olimar said, joining Alph at the window. He put his hand on the glass and tilted his head as he got a better look. “Maybe one day we’ll figure out what endeared us to them, though the reasoning could be as simple as the Pikmin like our whistles.”

“Maybe.” Alph hopped away from the window and stretched. “While I’m not happy about being stranded here, I am glad we get to see them a little longer. I was going to miss them.”

“I know I did,” Captain Olimar said. He took a seat and kept watching the Onion. A small smile stretched under his large nose. “It wasn’t the same at home without them. I missed their constant chatter and energy.”

“The food is portioned and no one gets seconds!” Brittany shouted from across the room. She slammed her hand on a table near their stock of juice in its neat storage unit. “How many times do I have to explain it?”

“But there’s plenty and I’m still hungry!”

“So am I!” Brittany called back, stomping her feet. “I’m always hungry, too! But you have to ration the food or it’ll all disappear and we’ll be right back to where we started! With nothing!”

“There’s more outside!”

“The food is rationed and that’s that!”

The shouting continued, loud and echoing throughout the ship. Somehow Captain Charlie continued to sleep through it all, arms crossed and comfortable in his Captain’s chair. He hugged his rubber duck and rolled over, ignoring the two warring gluttons.

Alph stared at the two fight across the room. He was used to seeing Brittany with that level of energy, but it was something to see the usually calm and quiet Louie snap.

Captain Olimar leaned over and kept his voice low. “I’ve been meaning to ask, but why is your food rationed so strictly? There’s plenty to go around.”

“Koppaites have bottomless stomachs,” Alph said, patting his belly. “Our planet suffered a food shortage because we don’t know when to stop eating. Brittany could devour every fruit on this planet and still be hungry.”

“Thus the strict rationing.”

“It’s been working well so far,” Alph said. He chuckled and held his hands together, thinking of the starving Koppaites back home. While he and the others ate their fill, the ones depending on them weren’t so lucky. “Though I wish we’d thought of it sooner.”

“The lesson has been learned, and that’s what matters,” Captain Olimar said. He put a hand on Alpha’s shoulder and squeezed. “You’ll get those seeds home and it’ll be all right. You’ll see.”

“You’re an optimist aren’t you?”

“No, just a parent.” Captain Olimar rubbed the side of his nose. “I’m used to cheering up my kids when they’re down.”

Alph snickered. He wasn’t a child, but it was sort of nice to be given the same consideration concerning his feelings.

“If you take one step closer to that jar, you’re going to regret it!” Brittany shouted. “I’m not kidding!”

“I found the fruit! I’m going to eat it!”

Captain Olimar slipped away from the window and said, “I think I’m going to go grab Louie before they kill each other.”

“Good plan.”

With all the skill of a practiced father, Captain Olimar slipped between the two. He soothed Brittney with one hand and slipped Louie a second jar of juice with the other when she turned her head.

He winked at Alph and held a finger to his mouth to keep quiet.

Alph zipped his lip and helped by asking Brittany if she could explain the planter box set up she’d designed once more, so he could build the frame correctly.

If giving Louie an extra ration here or there in secret kept the peace, Alph would be all for it.

* * *

“This planter box is brilliant, Brittany,” Alph said, watching her fill the frame he made with dirt. He hugged a Rock Pikmin to his chest as she adjusted the lights. Winged Pikmin hovered around her head, helping her when she directed them to raise or lower the sunlamps she’d converted from a few parts from Captain Olimar’s broken ship. “You know your stuff!”

“Thank you, Alphie!” Brittany said. She wiped off her forehead and stepped back to observe her work. “It’s nice to be appreciated.”

Alph set the Rock Pikmin down and it walked up to the side. It reached over and put its hand in the dirt, moving it around. He smiled and pulled over the small box of Pikpik Carrot seeds that Captain Olimar had given them.

“It’s amazing to think that carrots will grow from these little seeds.”

“That’s the wonder of plants!” Brittany nuzzled a Winged Pikmin before taking the seeds from Alph. “And when we get home, the seeds we’ve saved from all the fruit we’ve found will grow into even more delicious fruit with seeds of their own. It’ll be an endless supply.”

Brittany’s eyes glazed over as she put her hands on her cheeks. She licked her lip, lost in her fantasy of endless fruit supplies.

Alph decided to leave her alone with her daydreams.

He picked up his companion Rock Pikmin and carried it back down to the transport to teleport to the surface. He set it down and it followed along as Alph returned to the Onion. He called another handful of Rock Pikmin and some Reds in case of trouble.

“Heading out?” Captain Charlie asked, stacking supply crates with Louie and Captain Olimar. They’d been working hard to make sure everything was salvaged from the other ship. Alph nodded and his Captain replied, “Be careful!”

“Come on, let’s see if we can’t find one more piece of fruit before the day is out,” Alph told the small group of Pikmin. “And if not fruit for her, maybe a Bulborb or two for you guys.”

The little Pikmin gave him their usual blank stare and followed along when he whistled.

They were cute, but not too bright.

In the end, they carried back a new fruit for Brittany to identify—making her very happy—and at least four baby Bulborb for their Onion. The Pikmin scurried back inside, content and happy to have increased their numbers.

“I wonder if the Pikmin ever worry about food,” Alph said, as he turned in for the night. He’d never actually seen one eating anything. “Or if they just need nutrients to make more of themselves?”

He closed his eyes and went to sleep, thinking of Brittany and Louie fighting over fruit and the little Pikmin safe in their Onion.

* * *

“Ow,” Alph said, shaking his head inside his helmet. He sat up on his elbows and looked around. “What happened?”

“Here,” Louie said. He held out his hand and helped Alph off the ground. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.” Alph looked around at the loitering group of Red and Yellow Pikmin that surrounded him and Louie in the dark area. “Where are we?”

“A cave,” Louie said. He looked around with a huff. “You fell.”

“I did?” Alph asked himself. He thought back to where he and Louie had been looking for fruit. They’d gone into a shaded area. He’d seen a raised mound of dirt and when he went to look closer—the world went dark. “I did.”

Louie nodded and walked forward, away from the small bit of light streaming down from the opening. The Pikmin remained with Alph while the other went further into the cave.

He must have come down after Alph.

“Where are you going?” Alph asked. He pulled out his KopPad and tapped in the Captain’s number. “I can call for help.”

“No point.”

Sure enough, there was no signal on the KopPad. They must have been too far underground. Louie kept walking and Alph scrambled to catch up with him, whistling for the Pikmin to follow.

“Have you been in this cave before?” Alph asked, trailing behind Louie. “You seem to know where you’re going.”

“Not this one,” Louie said, still walking. He looked around as if searching for something in particular. “But if you’ve been in one you’ve been in them all.”

“Oh?” Alph said. “How many caves have you been in?”

“Too many.” Louie huffed and said, “Ask Olimar later.”

Louie’s foul mood zipped Alph’s lips from asking any further questions. He followed along with the Red and Yellow Pikmin, looking around the dark area, lit only by a random mushroom or two.

After fifteen or so minutes of travel, fighting two odd Bulborb Alph had never seen before that was covered in white fur, he asked, “What are we looking for?”

“A spout up,” Louie said. He raised his hand up in a quick motion. “The water’ll get us out.”

Alph nodded. He’d taken a ride on a water spout before above ground, he supposed to made sense they’d be underneath as well. However, it didn’t appear that one was nearby. He hoped Brittany and the others weren’t too worried about their disappearance.

Thirty minutes after they fell and Louie came to a dead stop.

“What is it?” Alph asked. He followed Louie’s gaze and saw a small group of Candypop Buds, but they were in colors he’d never seen before: Ivory and Violet. “Those are pretty.”

Louie looked at Alph and stared for a moment. He sighed and reached behind, grabbing a Red Pikmin. He tossed it and four others into an ivory one, before tossing five yellows into the violet. The Buds snapped closed and spit out five seeds each that landed into the ground. He stepped back and waved at Alph to pluck the sprouts.

Alph pulled and nearly fell over when the large, Purple Pikmin burst out of the ground. It looked around, and tiny feelers on its head wiggled as it stretched. Alph pulled out its four friends and they trotted around, enjoying their new freedom.

The Pikmin from the Ivory Candypop Bud, however, were tiny and almost half the size fo the others. They had large round eyes and purple on the tips of their fingers and feet.

They were both adorable.

“Wow! I’ve never seen Pikmin like these before.” Alph patted a White one on the head and smiled. A Purple wandered over and nudged Alph’s side, also wanting a pat. “I wonder what special talents you two have.”

“Poison,” Louie said, pointing to the white one as he tossed another handful of Red Pikmin into a second bud. He threw more Yellow into the second Violet one as well before pointing at the Purple one. “Strong.”

“You’re making more?” Alph asked. “Are they help in caves?”

Louie shrugged and plucked the last of the new ones. In total, there had been three buds of each color and their group of Pikmin had changed from all Reds and Yellows to fifteen White, fifteen Purple, three Reds, and two Yellow. Louie brushed himself off before he answered, “White and Purple don’t have Onions. You can only get them from caves.”

“No Onion?”

Louie shook his head. “Last time we kept them on the ship with us at night.”

Alph looked at the large group again and wondered if the S.S. Drake had room for all of them. He’d hate to leave them alone outside.

“Olimar likes them.”

The declaration came from nowhere and before Louie could clarify, he kept walking. A slight dusting of pink rested on his cheeks. A whistle blow from his suit caught the attention and they all ran off after him as he continued to search for a water spout back to the surface.

Alph smiled and trotted to catch up. “We’ll have to make room for them on the S.S. Drake, won’t we?”

Louie nodded once more, his step picking up with a hint of pride.

* * *

“They are so cute I might cry,” Brittany said, tackling a Purple Pikmin into a hug. The Winged ones she was also so fond of, flew around her head and inspected the new ones. “Ah! I love them!”

The White Pikmin hung around Alph, though a few wandered up to the two Captains watching from the sidelines. Captain Olimar in particular seemed to beam at the large group, happy to see the other Pikmin types milling about with the others.

“What a wonderful find, Louie!” Captain Olimar clapped Louie on the shoulder and shook it. “These will be very helpful in the future. Did you know that a Purple Pikmin can lift ten times the weight of a Red one, Alph?”

Alph shook his head.

“Once, Louie and I needed one hundred Purple Pikmin in order to carry a treasure back to the ship. They are hardy little guys!”

“But limited,” Captain Charlie said, recalling what Olimar had explained about them only propagating underground with the help of the Candypop Buds. “We’ll have to be careful with them.”

“Oh, we’ll be careful!” Brittany said, lifting a Purple one from the ground. She continued to hug it and its little feet kicked in delight. “Won’t we, Alphie?”

“Yes!” Alph said, holding his hand up. “I’m going to spend the rest of the afternoon making a spot for them in the cargo hold.”

“I’ll help,” Captain Olimar said. He headed to the S.S. Drake’s teleport and waved his hand for Alph to follow. “I still remember the set up from the Hocotate ship.”

Between Captain Olimar and Alph’s efforts, they made an enclosed area in the side of the cargo bay where the Pikmin could rest easily without getting into too much trouble in the other areas of the ship. They filled it with leaves from outside and grass for bedding. Alph donated an old blanket from his room to give them something softer to sit on.

“A nice touch,” Captain Olimar said. He yawned into his hand and rubbed the back of his head. “And just in time. Come on, I’m sure the others will be boarding soon.”

As soon as he said as much, Captain Charlie popped into the cargo bay with a tiny White Pikmin on his shoulder. He inspected the new living Quarter for their tiny, Onion-less companions and nodded in approval.

“Wonderful!” He set the White Pikmin down and shooed it inside. “You two did a fine job.”

“Thank you, Sir!” Alph said, hoping his admiration wasn’t too obvious on his face. “I hope the Pikmin like it.”

“They will,” Captain Olimar said. “They’re not too picky.”

That evening, thirteen Purple Pikmin and twelve of the Whites settled into the small cargo bay corner for sleep. Brittany snuck two of the Purple into her room for the night, two of the White Pikmin followed Captain Olimar to his room, and one White Pikmin snuck into Alph’s room when he wasn’t looking.

He didn’t have the heart to take him back to the Cargo bay after the tiny Pikmin hopped onto his bunk and made a nest out of his pillow.

Pikmin were too adorable for their own good.

* * *

On day fifty of their trip, the small group of Koppaites and Hocotatians took a day off. Their juice supply had a surplus of twenty days. They had cleared every enemy near the campsite. The sun was bright, the weather nice, and the group needed a well deserved break.

They’d let out all the Pikmin from the Onion and they played in and around the base, giggling and exploring as far as they dared while within sight of the crew.

Captain Charlie and Captain Olimar shared exploration stories—mostly repeating themselves but happy to tell them again regardless. Brittany played with the Winged and Purple Pikmin, taking photos with her KopPad.

Louie had his nose buried in a borrowed KopPad, writing notes of his own. Alph had glanced over his shoulder and saw a recipe for how to prepare a Bulborb before he decided he didn’t want to read the rest. Louie snickered at him before continuing to update and perfect recipes that no one in the crew but him would taste.

Alph sat under a Pellet Posey with his KopPad, writing a poem about the various Pikmin he’d encountered.

The White Pikmin that had taken to sleeping with him at night sunbathed on top of a Rock Pikmin, limbs spread and little chest moving up and down. He looked like he was napping, but would raise his head whenever Alph shifted.

It was a pleasant day, and if Alph didn’t miss his family so much, he could almost find himself content to spend the rest of his days the same way. He had a ship to work on. Friends and crew around him. And a beautiful planet that still had so much to explore.

After they were rescued—and they would be rescued; they had to be—Alph could see himself coming back better prepared with a more powerful communicator and more equipment suited for a long trip.

Perhaps Captain Charlie and Brittany would come, too.

If they made an area safe enough, he could invite his siblings or Captain Olimar could show his kids the wonderful world of PNF-404.

It could make a lovely home among the large, beautiful flowers and the endearing, hardworking Pikmin.

He grinned and wrote his last thought down as the last line of his latest poem. The planet had been trouble at times, but it was an endless well of creative inspiration for both his engineering and poetic needs.

“Alphie!” Brittany called. She waved her KopPad in the air and pointed at the Winged Pikmin. “Get a shot of me with the Pikmin! I want to take photos for my Auntie Bea!”

Alph got up and trotted over. The White Pikmin jumped up as well and scrambled after while the Rock Pikmin also tottered along to catch up. He took Brittany’s KopPad and waved at her to get into place.

“I want a copy!” Captain Charlie yelled, cutting his conversation short with Captain Olimar. “Send me one too!”

“No!” Brittany yelled back. She smiled at Alph and said, “You can have one if you want though, Alphie.”

The Captain huffed as Olimar snickered. Louie rolled his eyes and ignored them while Alph felt like he’d missed something important with the way Brittany smirked at the Captain and he glared back.

“Let’s get a group photo,” Alph said. He looked around the entire landing site, with the scattered Pikmin, the S.S. Drake and the Onion. “For everyone to share!”

“Great idea, Alphie!”

Whistle blows gathered all the Pikmin together around their Onion while Alph set up the camera. All of the Captains and Crew gathered in front of their ship, just behind the Pikmin. Alph set the timer and raced around, diving into place before the camera mode flashed and took a shot of all of them.

Alph printed the photo later that night and tacked it up on his note board above his small desk. It made the room feel more like home, and he went to sleep that night dreaming of all the places and things he’d show his family if they ever got the chance to visit.

He didn’t know how long they’d be on PNF-404, but it was nice to know that it could feel a little bit like home, too.


End file.
